Suns stuff in 4/20 Simmons' chat

[abomb]

Tom Wondra: West Bend, WI: If Phoenix gets the 4th overall pick in the NBA draft - who would you take?

Bill Simmons: (1:31 PM ET ) Great question. I'd look at it this way - they're set with Nash, Marion, Amare and Barbosa, and Diaw's a perfect forward coming off the bench because he can play 3 positions, but Raja is probably the weak link - he's a very good defensive player and 3-point shooter but not much else. So if you upgraded from him to Corey Brewer, your ceiling as a team gets a little higher, and you can work him in and bring him off the bench the first season. That would be my move. Then they could grab a backup PG with one of the other first rounders and one more rebounder with the other one.

Jack (Ipswich, MA): The Suns appear very unlikely to keep their core together for luxury tax reasons. Don't you think Marion would look good in green?

Bill Simmons: (1:37 PM ET ) Well, if that's the case, then the NBA needs to figure out a new way to do the luxury tax. If a team outwits everyone else and stockpiles an abnormal amount of assets, they shouldn't be penalized for it. I HATE the luxury tax. It's the single dumbest thing about the NBA right now - prevents teams from taking a chance or shaking up their team, they're better off doing nothing and hoping they get lucky in the spring.

 

[hafey]

Thats two people on the Brewer with the Hawks pick bandwagon. There's plenty of room.

 

[slinslin]

Can Brewer even play SG? Not so sure.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

I don't like the Brewer pick. I would much rather go, Horford/Wright/Yi/Noah

 

[slinslin]

By the way, why are so many people focused on us cutting salaries?

Yes we are over the cap for the next 2 years, but we will be competing for the championship in the next 2 years.

After next season Kurt Thomas 8M $ contract comes off the books and in 2 years we get rid off Shawn Marion, Steve Nash and James Jones. Nash has a team option but I don't know if we would use it in 2 years. Thats roughly 43 Million coming off of our cap in the next 2 years by just standing pat.

Unless we trade our guys to teams under the cap we can't help ourselves because our "bad contracts" expire soon anyway with the exception of Banks.

Moving Banks for nothing would help but anything else not so much, we better keep our draft picks even if we have to pay them twice because of the luxury tax definately being there, draft picks are cheap and we will need them down the road when Marion and Nash are over the hill.

 

[hafey]

Brewer is a shooting guard. I don't know why that would be questioned.

I know Suns fans generally have this complex about bigmen and the never-ending search for them, but Brewer could very well be the best player on the board at need spot and contribute immediately.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

Brewer is a shooting guard. I don't know why that would be questioned.

I know Suns fans generally have this complex about bigmen and the never-ending search for them, but Brewer could very well be the best player on the board at need spot and contribute immediately.

We have a bigger need at SF than SG. Barbosa/Bell is fine depth at the SG position.

 

[HooverDam]

Did anyone here Griffin on KTAR the other day? There is a link to the audio on the Suns site. He mostly gave canned answers, but he did make one interesting comment. He mentioned that Golden State plays a similar style to the Suns, but they do it a bit better as far as athleticism goes. The Suns are better shooters, and more complete players, but the Warriors have better athletes, so he said the Suns will maybe try to improve their athleticism.

He also talked about how important it is for a player in this system to be able to play a few different positions and be interchangeable. Which on the one hand I agree with, but on the other, if you find the PG of the future (most pass first PGs dont really play another position), you have to take him.

 

[hafey]

We have a bigger need at SF than SG. Barbosa/Bell is fine depth at the SG position.

Brewer can play both, and honestly enough Barbosa is as much the back-up PG these days as the back-up SG.

 

[slinslin]

The thing with Brewer is, he has been a SF in college, every scouting report projects him as a SF, he hasn't shown much ballhandling/passing ability to project him as a possible SG and while the safest pick quite possibly in the draft most people think he doesn't have that much upside.

 

[slinslin]

Brewer can play both, and honestly enough Barbosa is as much the back-up PG these days as the back-up SG.

No way... Barbosa is not a PG, he just isn't. He is purely a scorer.

I was always hoping Barbosa would become a PG but he hasn't develloped that way. He is an undersized SG which will make him a career 6th man or Iverson type with a big PG playing next to him.

This was very obvious in a game against the Lakers recently. Barbosa went 1 on 2 to the hoop on a fastbreak, couldn't get a layup up and somehow spun around in the air and found Bell for a 3.

To me that was just one of his plays that made it absolutey clear he will never be a PG, because the only reason he passed it was that 2 players were all over him, he somehow got lucky and bailed out.

I am not sure Barbosa will get much better than what he has been this season, except playing a bit more under control and improving on defense.

 

[hafey]

Have you seen him play or just read the scouting reports? He has as much or more ball handleing skills as Raja Bell.

As for potential, I think people are compltely missing the boat on him. He has all-stat ceiling.


Edit:
I was not claiming Barbosa was a PG, but rather he plays back-up PG for lack of a better option.

 

[Cheesebeef]

The thing with Brewer is, he has been a SF in college, every scouting report projects him as a SF, he hasn't shown much ballhandling/passing ability to project him as a possible SG and while the safest pick quite possibly in the draft most people think he doesn't have that much upside.

you haven't watched him play all that much have you? The guy handles the balljust as much as the FLA guards - he's got better handles than Raja already.

i'm all for this kid with the Hawks pick - he's going to be a freaking stud.

edit: I swear I didn't read Hafey post before mine - great minds think a like.

 

[hcsilla]

Brewer's handling is too high and his dribbling ability is also limited, that's definitely one of the most important areas which he has to focus in NBA on.

 

[Ciani]

Raja is not the weakest link in the team, he does everyhing he is supposed to do, he is the perfect role player for D'Antoni.

However, I think Brewer would be a good fit, but he has to improve his shooting.

 

[azirish]

If Brewer were 30 pounds bigger (ie in the 220 range rather than 190), I'd say he'd be a perfect fit for the Suns. He's very long and very quick. But due to his weight, I have real concerns about how well he'll do the first couple of years.

Long range I see Brewer as another Prince, ie a defensive specialist who goes to the basket and SOMETIMES hits some outside shots. I'd love to have him, but not as much as I'd like to have help on low post defense and inside rebounding.

 

[hcsilla]

I agree that Brewer is in the Childress/Prince "school" as a very good (future) complementary player. He would be a nice luxury to have but I also expect something more from ATL's pick.

 

[hafey]

I think Brewer is a lot more Josh Howard than Prince/Childress.

 

[hcsilla]

I think Brewer is a lot more Josh Howard than Prince/Childress.

Yes, that definitely separates the two camps of Brewer's observers from each other.

Fans in Brewer's bandwagon think that he is closer to Howard while the more scepticals see more Prince/Childress in him.

I haven't seen him in the Final Four where according to reports he played fantastic basketball and I guess that people whose have seen his last two NCAA games are definitely more impressed from him.

 

[NastyOne]

Brewer is way more athletic than Prince and Childress, and he has better handle than both of them, while still being a lockdown defender than can do a little of everything else.

His game reminds me of a Josh Howard with better defence, and if we can get a swingman like Howard with ATL pick than thats a huge plus.

Right now either Brandan Wright or Corey Brewer should be our selection if we get #4, cause both fit our system perfectly.

While i like Horford i dont think Amare,Diaw and Horford will work well together in this system and someone will be left on the outside looking in.

I'd much rather guys like Brewer or Wright who can play multiple positions on this team.(Both are extremly athletic and long as hell even though their light)

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Yes, that definitely separates the two camps of Brewer's observers from each other.

Fans in Brewer's bandwagon think that he is closer to Howard while the more scepticals see more Prince/Childress in him.

I haven't seen him in the Final Four where according to reports he played fantastic basketball and I guess that people whose have seen his last two NCAA games are definitely more impressed from him.

i've been riding his jock since last year. i was hoping he'd stay under the radar all season (ala finley years ago) and we'd get a steal with the cavs pick. then others started noting what i did. a terrific all-around player with great athleticism, drive, skills, and length who always seemed to show up in the big games. i think his eventual ceiling is possibly pippen level. that's worth the 4th pick.

 

[Covert Rain]

Much prefer Brewer to Noah. Mark my words. Noah will be a bust.

 

[hafey]

I completely agree with the Pippen level ceiling. I'm hesitant to mention it for fear of coming too strong about Brewer.

 

[hcsilla]

Brewer is way more athletic than Prince and Childress,

Brewer isn't more athletic than Prince but there is absolutely no way that Brewer is the better ballhandler between these two.

 

[Arizona's Finest]

A 2 guard who can't shoot in Mike D'Antoni's system??

Riiiight.

I think everyone is missing the boat on this - the pick should be Conley. Highest upside of anyone we can get at #4.